708Bed. Am I betraid, was Bedford born to die,

709By such base slaves, in such a place as this?

710Have I escap'd so many times in France,

711So many Battels have I over-passed,

712And made the French stir, when they heard my name;

713And am I now betraid unto my death?

714Some of their hearts bloud, first shall pay for it.

715Host. They do desire, my Lord, to speak with you.

716Bed. The traitors do desire to have my bloud,

717But by my Birth, my Honour, and my Name:

718By all my hopes, my Life shall cost them dear.

719Open the door, I'le venter out upon them,

720And if I must die, then I'le die with Honour.

721Host. Alas, my Lord, that is a desperate course,

722They have begirt you, round about the house:

723Their meaning is to take yon prisoner,

724And so to send your body unto France.

725Bed. First shall the Ocean be as dry as sand,

726Before alive they send me unto France:

727I'le have my body first bored like a Sive,

728And die as Hector, 'gainst the Mermydons,

729E're France shall boast, Bedford's their prisoner,

730Treacherous France, that 'gainst the law of armes:

731Hath here betraid thy enemy to death:

732But be assured, my bloud shall be revenged,

733Upon the best lives that remains in France:

734Stand back, or else thou run'st upon thy death.

736Mes. Pardon, my Lord, I come to tell your honour

737That they have hired a Neapolitan,

738Who by his Oratory, hath promised them

739Without the shedding of one drop of bloud,

740Into their hands, safe to deliver you,

741And therefore craves, none but himself may enter,

743Bed. A Neopolitan? bid him come in,

744Were he as cunning in his Eloquence,

745As Cicero the famous man of Rome,

746His words would be as chaffe against the wind.

747Sweet tongu'd Ulisses, that made Ajax mad,

748Were he and his tongue in this speaker's head,

749Alive he winnes me not; then 'tis no conquest.

751Crom. Sir, are you the Master of the house?

752Host. I am, sir.

753Crom. By this same token you must leave this place,

754And leave none but the Earl and I together,

755And this my Pesant here to tend on us.

758Bed. Now, sir, what's your will with me?

759Crom. Intends your Honour, not to yield your self?

760Bed. No good-man goose, not while my sword doth last;

761Is this your eloquence for to perswade me?

762Crom. My Lord, my eloquence is for to save you;

763I am not, as you judge, a Neopolitan,

764But Cromwell your servant, and an Englishman.

765Bed. How? Cromwell? not my Farrier's son?

766Crom. The same, sir, and am come to succour you.

767Hod. Yes faith, sir, and am I Hodge, your poor Smith;

768Many a time and oft have I shooed your Dapper Gray.

769Bed. And what avails it me, that thou art here?

770Crom. It may avail, if you'll be rul'd by me;

771My Lord, you know the men of Mantua,

772And these Bononians are at deadly strife,

773And they, my Lord, both love and honour you;

774Could you but get out of the Mantua port,

775Then were you safe, despight of all their force.

776Bed. Tut, man thou talk'st of things impossible;

777Do'st thou not see, that we are round beset,

778How then is't possible, we should escape?

779Crom. By force we cannot, but by policie:

780Put on the apparel here that Hodge doth wear,

781And give him yours; the States they know you not,

782For as I think, they never saw your face,

783And at a watch-word must I call them in,

784And will desire, that we two safe may pass

785To Mantua, where I'le say my business lies;

786How doth your honour like of this device?

787Bed. O, wondrous good: But wilt thou venture, Hodge?

788Hod. Will I? O noble Lord, I do accord, in any thing

789 I can;

790And do agree, to set thee free, do Fortune what she can.

791Bed. Come then, let's change our apparel straight.

792Crom Go, Hodge, make haste, lest they chance to call.

793Hod. I warrant you I'le fit him with a Sute.

795Crom. Heavens grant this policie doth take success,

796And that the Earl may safely scape away.

797And yet it grieves me for this simple wretch,

798For fear they should offer him violence;

799But of two evils 'tis best to shun the greatest,

800And better is it that he live in thrall,

801Then such a noble Earl as he should fall.

802Their stubborn hearts, it may be will relent;

803Since he is gone, to whom their hate is bent.

804My Lord, have you dispatched?

807Bed. How dost thou like us, Cromwell, is it well?

808Crom. O, my good Lord, excellent: Hodge, how do'st

809 feel thy self?

810Hod. How do I feel my self? why, as a Noble man

811 should do.

812O how I feel Honour come creeping on,

813My Nobility is wonderfull melancholy:

814Is it not most Gentleman-like to be melancholy?

815Crom. Yes, Hodge; now go sit down in the study,

816And take state upon thee.

817Hod. I warrant you, my Lord, let me alone to take

818state upon me: but hark, my Lord, do you feel nothing

819bite about you?

820Bed. No, trust me, Hodge.

821Hod I, they know they want their old pasture; 'tis a

822strange thing of this vermin, they dare not meddle with

823Nobility.

824Crom. Go take thy place, Hodge, I will call them in.

826All is done, enter and if you please.

828Gov. What, have you won him? will he yield himself?

829Crom. I have, an't please you, and the quiet Earl

830Doth yield himself to be disposed by you.

831Gov. Give him the money that we promis'd him:

832So let him go, whither he please himself.

833Crom. My business, sir, lies unto Mantua;

834Please you to give me safe conduct thither.

835Gov. Go, and conduct him to the Mantua Port,

837Go draw the curtains, let us see the Earl:

838O, he is writing, stand apart a while.

839Hod. Fellow William, I am not as I have been; I

840went from you a Smith, I write to you as a Lord: I am

841at this present writing, among the Polonian Casiges. I do

842commend my Lordship to Raphe and to Roger, to Brid-

843get and to Dority, and so to all the youth of Putney.

844Gov. Sure these are the names of English Noblemen,

845Some of his special friends, to whom he writes:

846But stay, he doth address himself to sing.

848My Lord, I am glad you are so frolick and so blithe;

849Believe me, Noble Lord, if you knew all,

850You'd change your merry vein to sudden sorrow.

851Hod. I change my merry vein? no, thou Bononian, no;

852I am a Lord, and therefore let me go;

853And do defie thee and thy Casiges:

854Therefore stand off, and come not near my Honour.

855Gov. My Lord, this jesting cannot serve your turn.

856Hod. Do'st think, thou black Bononian beast,

857That I do flout, do gibe, or jest;

858No, no, thou Bear-pot, know that I,

859A Noble Earl, a Lord par-dy.

860Gov. What means this Trumpet's sound?

862Cit. One come from the States of Mantua.

864Mes. Men of Bononia, this my message is,

865To let you know the Noble Earle of Bedford

866Is safe within the Town of Mantua,

867And wills you send the pesant that you have,

868Who hath deceived your expectation;

869Or else the States of Mantua have vowed,

870They will recall the truce that they have made,

871And not a man shall stirre from forth your Town,

872That shall return unlesse you send him back.

873Gov. O this misfortune, how it mads my heart?

874The Neopolitan hath beguiled us all:

875Hence with this fool, what shall we doe with him,

876The Earl being gone? a plague upon it all.

877Hod. No I'le assure you, I am no Earl, but a Smith, sir,

878One Hodge, a Smith at Putney, sir:

879One that hath gulled you, that hath bored you, sir.

880Gov. Away with him, take hence the fool you came for.

881Hod. I, sir, and I'le leave the greater fool with you.

882Mes. Farewell, Bononians. Come, friend, along with

883 me.

884Hod. My friend, afore, my Lordship will follow thee.

886Gov. Well, Mantua, since by thee the Earl is lost,

889Cho. Thus far you see how Cromwell's fortune passed.

890The Earle of Bedford being safe in Mantua,

891Desires Cromwell's company into France,

892To make requitall for his courtesie:

893But Cromwell doth deny the Earl his suit,

894And tells him that those parts he meant to see,

895He had not yet set footing on the Land,

896And so directly takes his way to Spain:

897The Earl to France, and so they both doe part.

898Now let your thoughts as swift as is the wind,

899Skip some few yeares, that Cromwell spent in travell.

900And now imagine him to be in England,

901Servant unto the Master of the Rolles:

902Where in short time he there began to flourish,

903An hour shall show you what few yeares did cherish.